Chapter 18: Warmly Welcoming the Great Boss!

Ling Yan, hidden in the mountains and forest, widened his eyes and whispered, "Uncle Zhong, what internal skill is Chi Ren Fo practicing? Why did his aura suddenly surge so much, looking almost on par with Master Lin Qun?!"

Zhong Shifu frowned and said, "Lin Qun says that's the Zhen Yu Ming Wang Skill? It doesn't look like it to me. The Buddhist martial arts of the Xun Dao region are extraordinarily powerful, but they are upright, peaceful, bright and righteous. They are certainly not shrouded in ghostly aura, picking people to devour."

"Then what's going on?" Ling Yan asked, puzzled.

Not far away, two more people were watching the battle below.

They were neither Three Mountains Bandits nor Wu Family; Ling Yan's party didn't even know there was another person behind them observing the situation.

The figure was cloaked in a wide wind‑patterned robe, hooded so his face was hidden; only his bearded lips curled slightly, clearly showing surprise.

"Reverse‑training the Zhen Yu Ming Wang Skill? What a lunatic, a Buddhist daring to practice such an internal skill without the Ming Wang Sutra… Oh right, the Ming Wang Sutra has been lost for years, and this skill's nature… Reverse‑training… reverse‑training… hahaha, an idea, indeed a viable path."

The person beside him asked in confusion, "Lord Wind Guard, can Buddhist martial arts be reverse‑trained?"

"Buddhist martial arts differ from ordinary martial arts; they require Buddhist sutras to cultivate the mind. As they say, martial arts refine the body, seeking to see Guanyin; Buddhist sutras refine the mind, seeking to see the Buddha's true heart. The Zhen Yu Ming Wang Skill, as the pinnacle of Buddhist martial arts, has always required a Buddhist disciple to possess innate comprehension and mind nature without lacking either. Chi Ren Fo has innate comprehension but lacks mind nature. Yet he reverse‑trained the Zhen Yu Ming Wang Skill into a phenomenon—truly remarkable."

The man in white robes before them turned out to be Wind Guard, one of the Four Great Guards of the Iron Tiger Guard, evidently a master‑level expert; otherwise no one would have missed him in this scene.

"Oh, Lord has been to the Xun Dao region, so you know Buddhist martial arts well. I've never seen such Buddhist disciples in the Kun Dao region—truly eye‑opening," the person beside him laughed.

"Qin Ping, you needn't feel sorry for yourself; just seeing it doesn't mean it's a good thing," Wind Guard said meaningfully.

Qin Ping was startled, "Is that so?"

"Take Chi Ren Fo as an example; he came to the Kun Dao region simply to complete his cultivation. The Zhen Yu Ming Wang Skill itself is a Buddhist orthodox martial art that originated from demonic Dao techniques."

"Huh?"

Wind Guard explained, "Back then, the Xun Dao region had a top‑tier demonic Dao practitioner causing trouble; it was the head of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect in Xun Dao who intervened and eliminated him. You should have heard of that demonic Dao cultivation method…"

Qin Ping was stunned, "Could it be the Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng, as famous as the Blood Essence Skill in the Kun Dao region?"

"Indeed. In the southern lands, the eight Dao paths host both righteousness and demonic forces. When the Dao wanes, demons rise; when the Dao is high, demons depart. No sect can claim its techniques are purely righteous. The Xun Dao Buddhist schools are led by the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, showing their massive influence. The Zhen Yu Ming Wang Skill was revised from the Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng by that sect's head. Legend says mastering this internal skill grants the power to subdue dragons and tigers, and the Ming Wang's prison‑sealing might. Now it seems Chi Ren Fo, as he practices, is becoming a bit like the Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng," Wind Guard said solemnly.

"Huh? So… the Guān Tiān Dēng Mó Zhuàng is also like that?"

"I don't know about that."

Qin Ping sighed, "Indeed, one must travel more; otherwise you wouldn't hear such things in the capital."

"Lord, you mean Chi Ren Fo reverse‑trained the Zhen Yu Ming Wang Skill to first ingest the ten thousand ghosts of hell, to comprehend the true meaning of the Ming Wang's prison‑sealing amid boundless evil aura, and that's why he came here to train?"

Wind Guard looked over, surprise in his eyes, "You did notice that, well done."

"Hehe." Qin Ping awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"But looking at Chi Ren Fo like this, it's impossible for him in this lifetime," Wind Guard said calmly.

"Why?"

"Watch and you'll see."

He said, and the scene shifted.

Lin Qun's slash flicked, shaking so much that it forced Chi Ren Fo, who was using the Zhen Yu Ming Wang Skill, to retreat a dozen steps!

Chi Ren Fo grew fierce; the Abyssal Hell tattoo on his body seemed to come alive, erupting with terrifying momentum, as if a real hell had manifested before them!

"Ten thousand ghosts, empower me!!"

Chi Ren Fo roared, his aura surging once more!

Seeing this, Lin Qun's eyebrows shot up.

Is the Zhen Yu Ming Wang Skill really this outrageous?

From start to finish, Chi Ren Fo erupted at least three times; each time his aura was knocked down, and after the subsequent burst he not only recovered to his original state but became a notch stronger than before!

Don't underestimate that one‑step difference; Chi Ren Fo was originally a half‑step master, and a single eruption already put him on par with a master. Now, with the third eruption, his combat power matches his.

The key is, who knows how many more eruptions this guy can have?

One more, and he won't be able to stand it!

But at this moment, Lin Qun saw Chi Ren Fo's body begin to bleed without injury, the bright red blood seeping from his pores, flowing along the Abyssal Hell tattoo.

The demons on it seemed even more animated, accompanying Chi Ren Fo's roiling blood, giving a horrifying impression as if they were devouring his blood.

Chi Ren Fo, drenched in blood, wielded his water‑polished Zen staff and charged again, eyes wild, roaring:

"Lin Qun, meet your death!"

"Is that all you can say?"

Lin Qun inhaled deeply; although he had been extremely cautious in facing the current peril, it now seemed he had not shown enough respect to Chi Ren Fo.

Thus!

Then he could only unleash the Killer Move!

At the instant Chi Ren Fo lunged, Lin Qun held his blade with one hand, his inner Qi surging like a tsunami, and in a blink the slash erupted with a dazzling white flash!

Whoosh!

Slash!

Crack!

The sound burst in an instant; in a blink one could only see Chi Ren Fo's broken water‑polished Zen staff falling to the ground, creating a crater.

At that moment, Chi Ren Fo's eyes were filled with disbelief; a long slash across his chest ran from his neck down to his abdomen, deep enough to expose his organs!

"Blade intent?!"

With that, Chi Ren Fo fell to the ground, blood streaming, his body convulsing.

Unless Chi Ren Fo instantly receives a miraculous elixir of living and dead flesh and bone, this horrific wound means he cannot survive.

"Second Boss?!" Cao Shangfei saw Lin Qun unleash a decisive blade that ended Chi Ren Fo, turned pale with fright, abandoned the loot in his hands, and fled hastily to the edge of the forest!

Meanwhile, the mountain bandits continued to assault the Wu Family convoy's guards, showing that these thieves were either extremely ruthless—unfazed even if their leader died—or had other backing and feared nothing.

Lin Qun gripped his long blade; the earlier forced blade intent was a desperate move. Even with his current strength, attaining blade intent is a power only top‑tier Celestial Realm masters can freely summon, and after such a grueling fight his stamina was depleted, with no follow‑up possible.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

A burst of applause rang out, and Lin Qun, who had just tried to relax, suddenly tensed his body.

It's strange how the applause came— in such a noisy scene it could actually be heard clearly, showing that the other side's skill is extremely profound!

Could it be....

"Not bad, not bad— you actually managed to kill the Second Boss of my Three Mountains; you really do have some skill."

Everyone turned their heads, only to see a person standing under the nearby tree— previously, no one had noticed his arrival.

Cao Shangfei's eyes lit up, and he shouted loudly:

"Welcome the Grand Boss!!"

The bandits fighting around, upon hearing this, instantly became extremely excited; they all raised their sabers, killed the Wu Family guards in front of them, then spontaneously gathered together, all raising their arms and shouting:

"Welcome the Grand Boss!!"

"Welcome the Grand Boss!!"